- Prep time
- 1:00
- Cook time
- 0:20
- Skill level
- Low
- Serves
- 4 medium jars
This recipe is simple, and I can honestly say that I've never seen, or tasted, anything quite it. You just don't get that vibrant colour and intense berry flavour in commercial jams.
There are just a couple of things I should mention before you get started though. One is that it's only worth making with really fresh, fragrant berries that aren't battered and bruised. And the other thing is, short of adding a setting agent like powdered pectin, which I don't like doing as you can always taste it, this jam won't set firmly. If the berries are really fresh then you'll get a pretty good gel, however more often than not, it's considerably runnier than its commercial cousins (but much more delicious too). Keeping it in the fridge will help thicken it a bit.
I've made this recipe for a kilo of berries, but you can just use 500g if you like...it will give you a couple of jars. In fact, jams and marmalades in general are much better, clearer and more vibrant when they're made in small batches as you don't risk overcooking the fruit and losing its 'fresh' flavour. I think that's the comment I most often hear, in fact, when people taste this — they can't believe how 'strawberry-ish' it is.
Ingredients
1kg fresh, fragrant strawberries, hulled and halved if large
1kg white sugar
Juice of 2 large lemons, strained
Method
Put the strawberries and sugar into a very deep, wide, heavy-based stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Give the pan a shake so the sugar settles down into the berries. If you don't have a really big pan, you're best to make a smaller quantity of jam, as it rises up when it boils and can spill over the sides of a small pan.)
Drizzle the lemon juice over the top, cover the pan, and leave it to sit for an hour or two.
After this, place the pan over medium/low heat and warm the mixture, stirring gently until the sugar has dissolved. Now, clip a sugar thermometer to the side of the pan. (This isn't essential so don't worry if you don't have one.) Increase the heat to very high and let the jam boil rapidly, stirring it occasionally to make sure it isn't sticking on the bottom, for between 15 and 20 minutes until it has reached setting point.
When the jam is close to setting point it bubbles up rather alarmingly in the pan, so you need to keep an eye on it and adjust the temperature a bit so it doesn't boil over.
Your jam will have reached setting point when the temperature has reached 105, or when you dip a wooden spoon into the jam and the last few drops look quite thick and syrupy. You can also spoon a little jam on an ice-cold saucer and put it in the freezer for a minute or so, then push your finger through it. If the surface wrinkles up a little, it's ready. Keep testing the jam every minute of so, and as soon as it's ready, take it off the heat and let it settle for a few minutes. Ladle it into hot, sterilised glass jars, cover them with a sheet of baking paper to protect them, and leave them to cool completely.
When they're ready, remove the paper and seal the jars tightly. Label and date them, and store them in the fridge for up to 4 months.
Sterilising jars
It's important to remember that the jars must be hot when you fill them with the hot jam, otherwise they may crack, so you need to get your timing somewhat in sync with the jam when you sterilise them. There are a few ways to do this, but the two I mainly use are these.
Wash the jars in warm soapy water, rinse them thoroughly then sit them and their lids (as long as the lids aren't plastic or won't melt) on an oven tray. Put the tray with the jars into a cold oven then turn the heat to 130. Leave the jars for 30 minutes, then carefully take them out and cover them with a sheet of greaseproof paper until you're ready to use them. (Or you can just switch off the oven and leave them in to stay hot if the jam isn't quite ready.)
The other way, if you have a dishwasher, is to put the jars and their lids through the hottest cycle, and leave them in once the cycle has finished, so they stay hot until you fill them.